UCLA Athletics: 1964

TOP (l to r): Coach J.D. Morgan, Gary Grossman, Bob McKnown, Tom Sandor, Ron Kendis, John Cunnea, Peter DeLeon. BOTTOM: Bob Stock Elty Brown, Dave Reed, Charles Pasarell, Arthur Ashe, Dave Sanderlin, Gino Tanasescu, Reed Witt.

The 1964 UCLA Men’s Tennis Team, known as the Bruin Netters, had a very successful season. During the season, they won 9 straight dual matches before losing a 5-4 thriller to USC. Despite also losing to USC for the AAWU title, the Bruin Netters ended USC’s 32 dual match winning streak earlier in the season after beating them in their first meeting, 5-4. UCLA won the California Intercollegiate Championships held at Ojai, with Bruin captain Arthur Ashe defeating Trojan captain Dennis Ralston, 6-3, 7-5, for the individual crown. This win was sweet for Arthur Ashe. Ashe, embarrassed by Ralston in their school’s first dual match, took revenge on the nation’s number two amateur player. Collectively, this was the 12th time that the Bruin Netters won the Ojai Valley Tennis tournament in 14 years. Charles Pasarell, the team’s co-captain with Ashe, also won the Thunderbird tournament.

Demonstrating a multitude of individual and team talent, the squad included some of the nation’s greatest amateur tennis players, with Ashe ranking sixth, Pasarell ranking tenth, Dave Reed ranking fifteenth, and Dave Sanderlin ranking twenty-eighth nationally. Winners of seven NCAA tennis titles between 1950 and 1964, the Bruin Netters were co-favorites along with USC and Northwestern for the 1964 National Championship. Although UCLA lost to USC in the Championship, they did win the All-UC team tennis championship at Santa Barbara. The Bruins were perennially one of the countries strongest squads.

1965

Arthur Ashe at Service

The Bruin Netters didn’t let anyone stand in their way in their quest toward championship glory this time around. Led by team captain Arthur Ashe, the 1965 UCLA men’s tennis team dominated all of their opponents. Coach J.D. Morgan assembled a 6-man team of superb depth, a team that scored a decisive 7-2 victory over arch-rival USC, another perennial net power and defending national champions, and two 9-0 beatings against Stanford in conference play. Truly the “unbeatables,” they placed first in the AAWU conference, and moved on to the NCAA Championships.

The Championship was held at UCLA’s home court, and they took full advantage of it. Just after representing the United States in Davis Cup action, Arthur Ashe took the court at the UCLA Tennis Stadium. Ashe was the country’s highest ranking collegian as well as No. 3 nationally, and he played like it. He demolished his competition, eventually beating Miami's Mike Belkin, 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 to capture the singles title. He then paired with UCLA's super sophomore Ian Crookenden to defeat their teammates Dave Reed and Dave Sanderlin in the doubles final. In the end, UCLA's quartet combined for a then record 31 of a possible 34 points and won the NCAA National Championship.

In 1965, Arthur Ashe had won the individual title, and with the help of his teammates, the doubles title, and the NCAA National Championship. After his UCLA career, he went on to win the US Open (1968), The Australian Open (1970), and the Wimbledon singles title (1975). Ashe is the only black man to win the world's most prestigious grass-court tournament. He also attained the ultimate ranking of #1 in the world in 1969, and again in 1975.

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